Case against Russian military blogger’s suspected killer finalized – investigative chief

The Russian Investigative Committee has finalized charges against a Russian woman involved in the bomb assassination of military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, the agency’s head, Aleksandr Bastrykin, has said. He alleges that Darya Trepova knew she was transporting a disguised bomb, contrary to her claims.

Trepova was recruited online by the masterminds of the crime, who reside in Ukraine, the Russian official told RIA Novosti on Tuesday. The final charges are related to terrorism, trafficking of explosives and forgery, he said.

“It is amazing how cynicism and cruelty run in the followers of the Kiev regime. Trepova tried to convince investigators that she didn’t know that the statue had a tracking device. But the probe established that she was aware that she was transporting an explosives-filled statue,” Bastrykin claimed.

Tatarsky, whose real name was Maksim Fomin, was killed in early April in St. Petersburg, when a bomb disguised as a gift bust of him went off during a talk he was hosting. More than 30 people were injured in the incident. Moscow branded the killing an act of terrorism and said the Ukrainian government was behind it.

Trepova was identified as the person who brought Tatarsky the present. She was arrested shortly after the assassination while she was looking for a way to leave the country, according to the law enforcement.

The Russian security agency FSB identified a Ukrainian man named Yury Denisov as Trepova’s accomplice, who allegedly provided the disguised bomb and collected intelligence on Tatarsky. The suspect remains at large.

Russian officials linked Trepova’s alleged crimes with her support of FBK, the anti-corruption organization founded by opposition figure Alexey Navalny. Leaders of the group urged people to undermine the Russian government by whatever means necessary, Bastrykin’s office said.

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